WABC - 7 Eyewitness News

[ns8401 998]

2 hours ago, wabceyewitness said:

Why should they do anything but what he, his employer, his family, and his doctors agree is best for all involved?
 

 

 

That’s got to be a rhetorical question, no? 
 

This board exists for people to express their opinions. What they actually do may not come close to reflecting the opinions expressed here. I was giving my two cents. That’s not a crime. Your post is the sort of comment I could copy and paste as a reply to anyone’s post here in any thread on the entire board and it would work more or less. 

2 hours ago, MorningNews said:

Not sure I get that complaint really. Stepping off the desk was overdue for Bill and that had become obvious to anyone watching. That said the abruptness of his finale was jarring, I mean it was tough watching him on GMA with those notes in his hands. It even seemed at one point the hosts had to guide him back on track. Tough to process that his decline wasn’t just ordinary aging but actually a debilitating cognitive decline.

 

I think it’s perfectly acceptable for him to continue working in some capacity so long as it’s not a distraction to the viewer like his nightly anchoring had become.

 

Especially given the scope of his reduced capacity which will be focused on Alzheimer’s. He’s earned that.

I’m essentially arguing that it’s gonna be very very hard to pull off if he’s that bad off already and it will be very difficult to keep it from being a noticeable distraction. If you turn it around and make it about him but let another reporter or even an anchor report on it it’s a much gentler ride. You also don’t have to deal with things around midstream when he gets too far gone to report. So I disagree with their strategy here. Given the general progression of a cognitive disease like this it probably won’t be a real long running series. Maybe you get a year or two out of it?

Edited 1 hour ago by ns8401

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His reports will surely be infrequent, his will be a unique perspective, said reports will be scripted with as many takes as needed to record, and if he does appear at the desk for a de-brief, everyone involved, including the viewer, will be aware of the circumstances and be understanding. I really don't get the hate.

 

So what if it's only a year or two? I'm not sure I'd be putting money on many local news to be viable beyond that timeline, so why should the expectations for this to be any different? As for the reading of notes, that's being mature and proactive. He knows he's not 100%, so he's doing something that helps him retain info better. Hell, many healthy newscasters that are half his age should be taking more notes, these days.

 

1 hour ago, ns8401 said:

This board exists for people to express their opinions. What they actually do may not come close to reflecting the opinions expressed here. I was giving my two cents. That’s not a crime. Your post is the sort of comment I could copy and paste as a reply to anyone’s post here in any thread on the entire board and it would work more or less.

 

Similarly, folks are within their right to express the opinion that you're coming off as more than a little callous, especially as someone who is almost completely unaffected by this. None of us outside of market #1 are regular WABC viewers, so Bill going on local TV and trying something unique like this isn't going to ruin or make our day. If he, his bosses, co-workers, family, and (die-hard) viewers don't have a problem with this, then it is kind of a you problem.